Coupled together, these two items indicate that if there is an ocean beneath the frozen crust of the moon, then itâ€™s reasonably warm, and rich in organic compounds. We donâ€™t know how life started on Earth, but itâ€™s a good guess that an ocean thick with organic compounds was involved at some point.

We don’t know how common life is and the possibility that life exists on Enceladus is quite small. Still, research in the solar system and in the deep oceans of Earth are suggesting some exciting new possibilities for environments suitable for life.